


Hunting Them Down

by Dean_loves_Cas_forever



Category: Supernatural, The Walking Dead
Genre: Abandoned baby, Abusive Past, Angst, As does Andy's into Rick's, Carl is still 13, Disagreements, Doesn't Follow Canon Timeline... At all., F/M, Homophobia and Racism (from Merle and some flashbacks), Homophobic Slurs, Jealousy, Kidnapping, M/M, Macho Showdowns, Merle is a dick, Mutual Pining, Norman creeps into Daryl's personality a lil, OOC Daryl sometimes, OOC Dean sometimes, OOC Rick sometimes, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PTSD, Protective Daryl Dixon, Slow Build, The Prison, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-14 11:41:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10535745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dean_loves_Cas_forever/pseuds/Dean_loves_Cas_forever
Summary: Rick and Daryl come across strangers on a run and Rick comes across some more hostile strangers... sadly Daryl's older brother is in amongst them...





	

It had been a while since the group had come across anyone who isn't one of their own; they were down to Rick, Daryl, Judith, Carl, Glenn, Maggie, Hershel, Beth, Carol and Michonne. They were comfortable with their little family, close and content, some members even preferred this post-apocalyptic family to their blood family. Rick kept his post as the family's leader and everyone fell into natural ranks around him, everyone had their unofficial roles.

It was a surprise to Rick and Daryl when they found 3 strangers on a run; the two men had bags loaded full of supplies and some luxuries, such as curtains to put up on the cell doors, and a car stuffed full of even more bags. They'd hit the jackpot with this town as seemingly no one had found it so all the stores were full and so were the houses. The 3 men had approached them, hands raised in surrender, and Daryl raised his crossbow defending both the supplies and Rick. The men went to step forward and Daryl's finger got comfortable on the trigger.

"Back up." He growled, he briefly glanced at Rick but the man's eyes were firmly set on the strangers.

"Please, we've been alone for months." One of them said, sad puppy dog eyes staring at them, begging for them to give in. Rick and Daryl shared a look then the hunter nodded slightly. Rick stood next to the younger man. 

"How many walkers have you killed?" Rick said as though reciting a prayer. The strangers looked at each other confused. 

"Between us? Too many to count." The shortest man replied honestly. Daryl glanced at Rick again but once again the man was focused on the others. 

"How many people have you killed?" This time, the men's faces blanked and hardened. 

"4." Rick looked at Daryl and nodded for him to take the last question. 

"Why?" He growled, not wanting to trust these strangers with his family yet. 

"Because we didn't want to see them turn into those things!" The middle one yelled. Daryl raised his eyebrow, he could tell they'd have problems with this guy. 

"Dean calm down, they're our only chance." The smaller one whispered with his hand on the other man, Dean's, chest. 

"Listen to 'im." Daryl said aiming his crossbow at Dean. Rick smirks slightly but puts his hand on the crossbow to lower it. 

"Our camp is a prison about 2 miles east. We're gonna finish up here then you can come with us back there. Be warned, we're a close family. Don't take too kindly to strangers." Rick said as Daryl slung his crossbow over his back and picked up the bags he'd dropped earlier. He turned and looked at Rick skeptically, the older man smiled softly and gently patted the hunter's cheek. Daryl huffed and walked away but stayed close enough to be able to protect Rick if he needed to. "I'm Rick, that's Daryl." He introduced then looked at them expectantly.

"I'm Sam, this is Dean and Castiel." The taller one said. Rick nodded and glanced back at Daryl. 

"We're boarding this place up then going, be ready or get left behind." Rick said then he turned to follow Daryl. Sam and Cas stepped in that direction too but Dean reached out to grab Cas' arm. 

"Cas, are we really going to follow them?" Dean asked in a loud whisper. 

"Dean please they're only shot." Cas whispered back with a pained smile. Dean relented and followed them. After barricading the stores, the men loaded the car and headed back to the prison.

Carl pulled the gate open for the car and ran after it, excited to see what Rick and Daryl had brought back. Carl smiled when Daryl got out of the car; Rick had thought that the boy had liked Shane but that was nothing compared to how he felt towards Daryl, Carl adored the hunter and Daryl felt the same way towards the boy.

"Judy wants her Uncle Daryl." Carl said cheerily, Daryl smiled and messed up the boys hair. Carl's smile brightened when he saw Rick get out of the car. Rick stepped to the boy and hugged him tightly but Carl's smile dropped when he saw the strangers get out of the car. 

"You have kids here?" Sam asked shocked.

"I have two kids and I'd prefer if you stayed away from both of them." Rick said with his arm around Carl's shoulder, Sam and Cas nodded in understanding: the man was protecting his kids from strangers, no harm done.

"What the fuck do you think we're gonna do to them?!" Dean shouted and immediately Daryl's crossbow raised.

"Dean quit it. They're letting us into their camp, show some respect towards the man." Sam said angrily.

"Listen ta the gigantor." Daryl murmured. Dean glared at the hunter but backed off. Sam and Cas helped Daryl, Rick and Carl carry all the bags up to the prison while Dean sulked along behind carrying nothing but his pistol. 

"Ground floor, last three cells are yours." Rick said as they entered C block. The three strangers looked up onto the catwalk and were intimidated by the eyes of the group staring them down.

"We only need two cells" Cas said looking up at the catwalk.

"You together?" Daryl asked looking at Sam. Dean huffed. "What's'you're problem?" Daryl asked.

"I'm with Cas." Dean said, now Daryl huffed "What? I don't look gay to you?" Dean asked. "You got a problem with gays, redneck?" Daryl growled lowly, once again dropping the bags he was carrying in order to back Dean up against a wall. Sam and Cas stepped forward but Rick held out a hand to stop them, they looked up and saw everyone else was watching as though Daryl was having a normal conversation with the man.

"Don't call me that, unless y'wanna be in a whole world o'hurt." Daryl growled out "And I ain't got no problems wit somethin' I am." Daryl hissed then pushed off the man leaving him gasping, he returned to his load and lifted them again and started to walking through the cell block. Carol hopped down the stairs carrying Judith, Daryl dropped the bags... again and the strangers watched as the hunter's whole demeanor changed. Judith reached out for Daryl as soon as she saw him. Carol shifted the baby into the man's arms and Judith immediately leant into him. "Hey Lil Asskicker." Daryl cooed. No one but Cas seemed to notice the way that Rick watched Daryl, not only when he was holding the baby but whenever the other man wasn't looking. Quiet chatter filled the cell block and Cas decided to approach Rick.

"Hey er Rick." He started timidly. Dean watched them from the other side of the cell block while everyone helped to put the supplies away, leaving the curtains for Rick and Daryl to sort out. 

"Hi Cas." Rick said in a friendly tone. Cas smiled softly. 

"I apologise on behalf of Dean, he's protective." Cas said looking at his feet. 

"As are we." Rick said sparing a look around before landing on Daryl and Judith. 

"I don't mean to intrude but are you... are you and Daryl...?" Cas asked, stopping and starting. Rick's eyes snapped back to Cas'. 

"No..." Rick said slowly. Cas looked at him with knowing eyes. 

"But you want to?" Cas asked making sure to keep his voice low. Rick looked back at the hunter and his daughter and smiled.

"Y-yeah but..." Rick started but he wasn't sure how to finish the sentence. 

"You're scared." Cas finished, Rick sighed but nodded. "Don't worry it'll work out, I know it wi-" Rick's face hardened.

"You can't know that." He growled defensively. Daryl heard the low rumble even from the distance between them and turned to them, unfortunately, Dean heard it too and stormed over to the pair. 

"Don't talk to him like that." Dean said angrily getting up in Rick's face. Daryl quickly handed Judith to Carl and pushed his way between the two men, facing Dean. 

"Don't talk to _'im_ like that." Daryl replied, the taller man went to say something but Daryl cut him off. " 'member who took you in." Daryl turned and pushed Rick up onto the catwalk, down to the man's cell. Cas hit Dean's chest then walked off exasperated to meet with the rest of the group as Sam was doing. Maggie watched the two depart to the cell from her place next to Michonne. 

"How long?" Maggie asked not needing to elaborate. Michonne chuckled. 

"Few weeks tops, maybe faster now that those two are here." 

* * *

Daryl didn't say anything as he got to work with putting the curtain up over the door of Rick's cell. Rick watched the man's back carefully, his eyes traced over the others bare arms. Daryl had just sat down next to Rick when Carl entered the room. 

"Hey, I was wondering... could you teach me to throw knives?" The boy asked shyly, he knew that the hunter wouldn't say no but he was still cautious as his mom would never have allowed it. 

"Of course." Daryl replied as expected then Carl turned to Rick expectantly. Rick looked at his son and smiled, he'd always had so many strict rules and for a young boy that can be hard when you want to trust your parent but he wanted to be more lenient with Carl and some of that leniency would come from Daryl since the younger man was slightly more wreak-less and care-free than himself.

Since Shane had died and Daryl had become more loyal to Rick, the hunter had become a parental figure for Carl even more so after Lori's death; Carl looked up to Daryl as much as he did Rick. After Shane died Carl found himself looking for another man to befriend, not a replacement but someone to help with the pain and since both Rick and Lori were dealing with it in different ways and Carl couldn't find the comfort he needed in them so he turned to Daryl, at first he was a friend but then he became a hero for the young man. Daryl protected their family, he had a badass crossbow and was an all round badass, to a pre-teen, that was pretty heroic. After Lori died, the boy found himself seeking comfort in the older man once again, with his dad crashing he needed someone else to look after him and Judith and he was happily glued to the hunter's side then his dad got back on his feet and he had both the men looking after him and his sister so he had two parental figures again, not replacing just consolidating Daryl's place as another father figure to look up to and rely on.

"Don't look at me, Daryl already said yes." Rick said with a small smile. Carl looked at his father shocked. "Look, son, I ain't gonna keep enforcing rules for you, now's not the time for silly rules. Daryl's words is as good as mine and what he says goes." Carl grinned and even Daryl spared a small smile.

"Yer dad has ta give everyone their duties for the day, I'll teach ya after that... assuming he don't give me the hard labour." Daryl says to Carl and nudging him slightly. Both Carl and Rick chuckled.

"I'll try." Rick said with a smile. Carl hopped forward and hugged Rick quickly then did the same for Daryl, who momentarily froze before relaxing with a smile. Everyone had been smiling more since they'd found the prison, after the initial grief of Lori's death passed everyone found themselves laughing and joking with each other, like families do, it was refreshing. Carl then left with a brief word that he needed to check on Judith. Daryl turned to Rick and smiled. "What?" Daryl shook his head.

"Nothin' just never expected ya ta trust me with decisions when it comes ta yer kids." Daryl said softly to the older man. Rick looked at Daryl with sad eyes, did the man not realise his worth to the small family? 

"Really? He loves you, Daryl. More than he ever even liked Shane. He sees you as another father and has for a while. In some situations, you've been a better father to him that I have." Rick said, Daryl turned away to hide his face. "When he come to you for things, I want him to trust you and know he has someone he can go to if he doesn't want to tell me." Daryl surged forward and wrapped his arms around Rick's waist to pull him into a hug, Rick sighed happily and curled his arms around Daryl's neck. Daryl held the older man longer than what would be considered conventional and then whispered 'thank you' in Rick's ear before leaving the cell. Rick watched him leave and let out a frustrated sigh, could Cas be right?

* * *

 "Ok Hershel you have your usual job on the farm. Maggie, Michonne and Carol continue clearing the walkers from the gate, they're starting to build up-not enough to be a problem yet but I'd rather it never get to be a problem, we gotta stay on top of it and make sure that the fence holds up, we can try and reinforce it to make it stronger tomorrow. Glenn and Beth you're on watch." Rick said, they all nodded before Glenn noticed some missing names.

"What about Daryl?" He asked. Rick paused while Judith was handed to him.

"He has plans." He replied off-handedly while readjusting his daughter. 

"What about the strangers?" Michonne snarled, the three new men were sat at their own table watching. Dean grimaced at the woman. 

"They can help Hershel on the farm, we need a few more hands working with the pigs." Rick replied with a chuckle and everyone snickered even Sam and Cas. 

"Lighten up Dean." Sam said, Dean rolled his eyes then they all got up and headed to their respective jobs. Rick and Carl waited while Daryl collected various knives and a large wood crate planter. Carl watched in awe as the man lifted the large crate, it was probably heavy and awkward to carry with one hand; Rick watched in awe too but for different reasons, he admired the muscles flexing in the hunter's arm and the strength the man possessed. They followed him out into the yard about 10 metres from the farm which was where he positioned the wooden crate then stood about 6ft away from it. 

"Alright, we're gon' start up close, make sure ya can actually stick it." Daryl said pulling the boy next to him, he did look at Rick briefly to make sure he wasn't out of line but Rick was smiling at them. Carl nodded listening to his instructions. "I'll show ya." Daryl took the knife by the blade and flicked his wrist, a smug smile spread across Daryl's face and Carl let out a quiet 'cool' when the blade embedded into the wood. Rick held Judith tightly as she slept, happy to watch the two. There was a shy tap on his shoulder and he turned to see Sam holding a chair from one of the huts. 

"Figured you want to sit down to watch them." He said with a warm smile, he set the chair down and Rick smiled up at the man. 

"Thank you Sam. That's awfully kind of you." Rick sat down and the taller man left with a pleased nod. Rick looked up from Judith just in time to see Carl throw the knife as Daryl had shown him and watch it lodge into the wood. A massive smile split across the boy's face and he turned to each man in turn, the smile widened impossibly when he saw the pride on the faces of both men. 

"Can I try further back now?" Carl asked but Daryl let out a laugh of disbelief. 

"You can't get it from further back." He said with a smile in his voice. Carl turned on him in mock anger. 

"Yeah well lets see you get it from further back then." Carl challenged, Daryl raised his eyebrow in acceptance. He grabbed Carl's shoulders and pushed him back, next to his father. Then he stood about halfway between the crate and the chain link fence. 

"There's no way he's gonna make that." Carl said, both in disbelief and awe. Rick tilted his head.

"I wouldn't underestimate him if I were you." Rick murmured watching Daryl get ready to throw. They watched him calculating the distance then, with another wrist flick, he threw the knife and Carl's jaw dropped as the knife wedged itself in the wood. Carl ran to the crate then ran to Daryl. 

"That was awesome! Will I be able to do that?! How'd you manage to hit that?!" Carl exclaimed, Daryl laughed, actually laughed, and messed up Carl's hair again. 

"They aren't bad people." Sam, Dean and Cas had momentarily stopped what they were doing to watch Daryl throw and they were now watching the exchange between the man and the boy. "They took us in with three questions and had warned us that they don't take lightly to strangers. You're making it worse by being so damn uptight and defensive." Cas continued, he loved the man but he was too stubborn for his own good. Dean rolled his eyes.

"How can you say that after everything we've been through? How are you even trusting them right now?" Dean asked, his eyes on the hunter positioning the boy slightly further away from the first time. 

"Because I know a good man when I see one." Cas said with finality before turning back to his work, Sam quickly followed but Dean stood watching. Carl batted Daryl's chest lightly as the man held him back to prevent him from walking further away from the target. Rick laughed at the two bickering. 

"Fine! You try 'n hit it from back there!" Daryl said throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. Daryl went and stood with Rick and Judith as Carl went to stand in the same place Daryl had stood, he rested his hand lightly on Judith's head and watched the boy walking to the space. Carl was breathing heavily as he approached the spot, he felt the knife's cool metal in his palm which helped to ground him. He felt a cold, unfamiliar stare on his neck, he turned to his left and saw one of the strangers watching him, he glared back until the other man shook his head and turned back to his work. Carl focused on the task at hand, he knew realistically that he wouldn't be able to make it but Daryl had made it look so easy and he wanted to make them both proud, it made him feel happy to make them proud of him, so he steeled his nerves and kept his eyes on the target. He raised the knife over his shoulder then threw, he ran after it and jumped up when he saw when it had landed. In the crate, about 2 inches off the floor. 

"I hit it! I fucking hit it!" Carl exclaimed excitedly not thinking about the slip. Daryl rushed over and threw his arm around the boy in a side hug upon seeing the knife wedged in the wood. Rick smiled at the boys happiness and the other man's pride. 

"Good job, Carl!" Daryl praised him. Carl beamed up at him then threw his arms around his waist. Once again Daryl froze for a moment then responded.

_Nobody noticed the foreign eyes watching them from beyond the tree line._

* * *

Rick and Dean were clearing some of the unexplored prison when a herd of walkers came at them, there were only 10 or 12 of them but there were too many for two to easily handle. They were doing ok until Rick got thrown to the ground, his forearm cut deeply on a piece of metal and he called out in pain but the sound drew the attention of the walkers away from Dean and onto Rick. One walker fell on Rick's leg after Dean had thrust the crowbar into his skull, which made escaping harder, but Dean helped him up and then helped him back to C block. Carol was the first to meet them.

"Oh my, what happened?!" She asked when she saw the cut. Her face paled then she turned. "Hershel come quick! Rick's hurt." Unsurprisingly, that stirred up more attention than just Hershel, immediately Carl and Daryl came running with Judith in arms. 

"What happened?!" Daryl demanded, glaring at Dean. He passed Judith to Carl and turned back to Rick.

"We were clearing out some of the prison when a herd got us, he got knocked down." Dean stammered fear in his tone. Daryl took that as a reasonable answer and wrapped his arm around Rick's waist and guided him to Hershel's cell. 

"He's losing a lot of blood." Hershel said as Daryl gingerly set Rick down. Rick was feeling woozy and his vision was going but he kept his eyes on Daryl. He heard Hershel tell Daryl to hold him down then he felt the pain of the vet stitching his arm up and, in his almost passed out state, he shouted out in pain. Daryl grimaced but held onto the older man tightly. It wasn't long before Hershel was wrapping the wound in bandages but by that time, Rick had passed out. Daryl stayed in Rick's cell with him, he sat next to him gently brushing his curly hair. 

"I'm sorry." Daryl looked up quickly, pulling is hand from Rick head. Dean crept into the room and looked at the sleeping man with guilt in his eyes. "I should have been covering him, if I was watching him then he wouldn't have gotten hurt. Should have been more careful." Dean mumbled, he was nervous to be talking to the hunter which was unusual for the man but unsurprising when who he was talking to was taken into consideration.

"Don't worry about it, shit happens." Daryl said, not looking at the new man. Dean muttered another sorry and left the room. Daryl returned his hand to Rick head. They were alone for a while before Carol came in, this time Daryl didn't move his hand because Carol knew. 

"This enough for you to tell him?" Carol asked leaning against the bed frame. Daryl huffed and brushed back a stray hair then ran his hand over the man's cheek. Rick heard Daryl and Carol talking and the soft hand on his face so he kept his eyes closed and listened. 

"This sort of thin' s'happened b'fore." Daryl said. 

"Yes and every time it's happened you've been panicking that he was going to die without knowing... so tell him!" Carol said, Daryl was silent and shifted his hand to rub his thumb over Rick's cheek. "I know you're worried that he doesn't feel the same but he does, Cas told me they spoke about it." 

"It's not that..." Daryl answered quietly, he sounded so defeated and Rick just wanted to throw his arms around the archer but he needed to hear this. 

"Then what?" Daryl looked at the man on the bed and sighed. 

"I don't want ta hurt 'im." Daryl whispered, Carol looked at Daryl surprised that such a tender emotion could come from a man like Daryl. 

"You won't hurt him, Daryl." Carol said resting a hand on the man's shoulder. 

"Yea I will. I... I can't do relationships. I'll end up snappin' at 'im or hurting 'im and I can't... I don't wanna do that ta 'im." Daryl said, Carol smiled sadly since she knew that there was a deeper reason for Daryl feeling like that but she knew better than to push.

"You won't know unless you try, Daryl. He loves you, Carl and Judith love you. And if you truly love him... you'll try for him." Carol said then she turned to leave. 

"I need ta talk ta Carl 'bout it first." Daryl said and Rick nearly smiled brightly. Of course Daryl would think of the boy. Carol nodded before she left and Daryl turned around to fully face the 'sleeping' man. "I'm going ta talk ta Carl then I'll be right back." Daryl whispered then he pressed his lips lightly to Rick's forehead. Daryl left to find Carl and a gentle smile set on Rick's face. 

* * *

"Hey Carl, I need ta talk ta ya." Carl turned to the hunter and smiled. He nodded and put the hoe down on the floor. 

"What's up?" Carl asked looking up at the man, he pushed the sheriff's hat back a bit so he could see Daryl better. 

"Well... err... fuck... erm 'k... I like yer dad... a lot and... I want'd ta make sure ya were ok with me b'fore I asked yer dad." Daryl explained hesitantly. Carl grinned up at Daryl as though he'd been waiting for it. 

"Sure!" 

"I know tha- ... wait what?" Daryl started surprised. Carl sat down and gestured for the older man to do he same. 

"You've been like a second dad to me for a long time, even before Shane, even if you didn't realise it. A kid knows when something isn't right with his parents and I ain't stupid, I could see that they weren't the same anymore and that it couldn't be long before they stopped pretending everything was ok between them, dad spoke to me a few days after mom announced her pregnancy that they weren't 'working' anymore. I'd made peace with the facts by that point. Mom wasn't really much of a mom to me when she was pregnant with Judy but you were there and that means so much to me. You make dad happy, happier than he's been since he found us at the quarry. Judith loves you and I honestly wouldn't be opposed to her growing up with you as her pa with dad, before all this people adopted kids all the time and I think deep down we all know that Judith's father isn't my dad but either way she should grow up with two parents and i have a picture of Mom so she won't be forgotten. Daryl I love you: and I know dad does too. So go right ahead, join our lil' family." Carl said, Daryl looked at the young boy, eyes wiser than his years. Daryl leant forward and pulled the boy to his chest. 

"I love ya too Carl." Daryl said into his messy hair, Carl smiled happily and hugged him back. "I'm gonna check on Judith then I'll talk to yer dad." Daryl said then he pressed his lips to Carl hair. Carl smiled as the hunter walked away then picked up the hoe to continue with the garden. Daryl went back into the prison and headed to the cell that was Judith's nursery, the little girl was sat up in her crib and threw the man a gummy smile as he entered. She lifted her arms up to the man who happily lifted her. "Hey Lil' Asskicker." He cooed, she smiled at him then pressed her face to his cheek, an attempt at kissing him he guessed, she laid her head on his shoulder and mumbled quietly in his ear. Rick heard Daryl's footstep coming towards his cell so he laid down and closed his eyes, hoping for Daryl's tenderness to return. Daryl entered the cell and his eyes softened fondly at the sight of the 'sleeping' man. "Looks like daddy's still 'sleep, Judy. We can sit next to 'im and talk though." Rick heard Daryl pulling the desk chair up next to the bed. "Now, miss, yer bro said that he wouldn't mind me bein' yer pa, what do ya think 'bout that?" Daryl asked, Rick nearly huffed with laughter because he sounded like he was interviewing the baby, Judith giggled and clapped her hands together before throwing them around his neck. "I'll take that as an ok, but I gotta ask yer daddy when 'e wakes up." Daryl went silent for a minute then chuckled to himself. "Never thought I'd actually wanna be a father. Never thought I'd want ta be with someone so much, always thought Merle 'n my ol' man were right and fuck were they wrong, I'm so happy they were wrong. But I love y'all so much, and..." Daryl trailed off, not sure how to finish the sentence. "Love ya, Judy." He whispered with his forehead pressed to hers. Judith babbled with a serious face, like she was returning the sentiment. After a few minutes of silence, Rick decided now would be a good time to wake up. Immediately Daryl's hand flew to Rick's head, instinctively, which brought a fond smile to the older man's face. "Welcome ta the land of the livin'." Daryl said softly then snickered at his own joke. Rick shook his head with a little smirk and sat up. "How're ya feelin'?" Daryl asked, his hand out ready to help if it was needed. 

"Arm hurts like a bitch but other than that, I'm good." Rick smiled. Daryl passed Judith over to Rick and smiled at the two. "Where'd you go?" Rick asked, knowing full well where he'd gone but wanting Daryl to talk about it. "I woke up earlier and you weren't there." Rick clarified when Daryl looked at him confused. 

"I went ta talk ta Carl." Daryl replied looking at Judith. Rick let out a small smirk.

"What did you talk to him about?" Rick asked. Daryl scowled at him playfully, knowing what the man was doing since anyone else would have left it, but Rick just grinned at him. 

"Feelin's 'n crap." Daryl said hesitantly. Rick waited, he knew that if he waited long enough that Daryl would tell him. "I asked 'im how he'd feel if... we.. if I... If we b'came an 'us'." Daryl said slowly, he wasn't confident with his words as he usually was. Rick held the smile from his face as he reached out to lightly brush the man's hair from his face, Daryl leant into the touch. A man with such a rough background, a background full of hurt and suffering, it was no surprise the man usually shied away from touch but it was also no surprise that the man needed soft touches and affection. 

"What did he say?" He asked softly. Daryl huffed a laugh then looked up at the other man.

"That I can 'go 'head 'n join yer lil' family'." Daryl answered, his tone light. Rick looked down at Judith and his eyes softened at the thought of his son. "So... Can I?" Daryl asked unsure. 

"Yeah... Yeah you can." Rick said smiling at the man. Daryl head snapped up, surprised that Rick had said yes. "You really don't see?" Rick said, sadness returning to his eyes. "Daryl, you really can't see how much you mean to us?" 

"Yeah I feed y'all." Daryl answered quietly. Rick chuckled humourlessly and shook his head. 

"No, you don't just feed us, Daryl. You protect us. You care for us, about us. Behind the 'don't give a fuck' attitude, you actually give a fuck. You're family. In this fucked up world we've found extended family." Rick said softly. "We need you, Daryl...  _I_ need you." Daryl looked down a his feet, Rick reached over to cup the hunter's jaw and pull his face round so he could look at the man. No one said anything, Judith had fallen asleep so the cell was silent, Rick moved forward slowly while looking into the man's eyes. Daryl's eyes softened with fondness and he leant in to, careful not to move Judith too much. Their lips met briefly and when they pulled away, bright smiles spread across their faces and they both looked down at Judith. 

"Carl also said that Judith should grow up with two parents..." Daryl left the statement hanging. 

"Yeah, I think he's right. Would you do us the honour, Daryl Dixon?" Rick asked.

"Yeah I think I will." Daryl replied with a grin on his face that made him look younger. Rick smiled too, he wrapped his arm around the newest member of their family. Daryl leant over and pressed his lips to Judith's head, he suddenly had a thought. "I'm gonna go out on a run." Daryl said standing. Rick grabbed Daryl's arm and pulled him back a step. 

"We went on a run this morning, Daryl. And we're going out to reinforce the wall tomorrow." Rick said looking up at the man. 

"You ain't goin' tomorrow." Daryl said sitting back down, his arm pressed against Rick's.

"Why not?" Rick asked defensively. Daryl smirked.

"B'cause you're injured and, while the town seems empty, the shit we're gone get t'morrow is too big for me ta be worryin' 'bout ya bein' safe." Daryl said stroking his hand over the other's arm. Rick nodded. 

"Take Carl." Rick said, Daryl nodded and leant over, he kissed Rick's cheek gently. "What are you going to get tomorrow?" 

"Shit for the wall." Daryl replied. "Maybe look for a safer housing estate." 

"Sounds good." Rick whispered. The smell of cooking meat wafted through the cell block and the two men noticed it. 

"Food!" Carol shouted into the block. The two men got up and headed into the 'dining room'. Carol smiled to herself when she saw Daryl and Rick sit close to each other at the table. Carl did the same when he sat at the table with them. 

"So..." Daryl and Rick looked at Carl, challenge in their eyes. "Do Judith and I have two father's as of now?" He asked lowly, making sure that his voice wouldn't travel in the loud dining room. The two men looked at each other briefly. 

"If that's what you what him to be." Rick answered after their silent conversation. Carl smiled so big that Rick was momentarily worried that his face would split in two. 

"Don' worry, I'll be the fun one." Daryl said playfully, the people at the table laughed quietly, even Judith who had no clue why but everyone else was laughing so why not her. The room filled with happy chatter and laughter as everyone ate. Sam, Dean and Cas were sat at their own table, not talking to anyone, whenever Sam or Cas tried to talk to the rest of the group Dean stopped them. Sam and Cas looked at Rick's table almost longingly.

"Daryl's going on another run tomorrow." Rick announced to the room. "He's getting shit to reinforce the wall and whatever else. Glenn, Sam, Dean you're going with him."

"Carl, I want ya ta come too." Daryl said to the boy who nodded excitedly. Rick then turned on Dean, his eyes flaming with distrust. 

"If anything,  _anything,_ happens to my men, I will personally hand you over to the walkers." Rick hissed, Dean even had the decency to look afraid of him. Carl put his hand on Rick's arm to pull him away. 

"Rick, you know I won't let anything happen to Carl and Glenn." Daryl said softly once Rick had sat back down.

* * *

Rick woke up early the next morning to say goodbye to Daryl and Carl, he mad sure that Judith was asleep in Beth's cell before meeting the men outside by the gate with the truck. Rick threw the provisions into the cab then turned to the others. He pulled Carl into a tight hug, this was the first run Carl would be going on.

"You listen to Daryl, ok?" Rick said quietly, Carl nodded recognising his dad's fear.

"Gotta listen to my dad right? Otherwise I get my ass kicked." Carl said lightly, looking over at Daryl with a light smile. Daryl nodded with a light chuckled. 

"Better believe it." Daryl joked with a clap on the boy's back. Rick laughed too but he was still worried for his men, they were getting some big pieces of metal and other things; that and watching out of walkers and each other, it was risky. "Wait in the truck, you can sit up front." Daryl said to Carl. He watched the boy hop happily to the front seat and get in. 

"You'll be careful right? Watch out?" Rick asked, his voice soft with concern.

"Darlin' I already told ya I won't let anythin' happen to Carl and Glenn." Daryl said, Rick's face flushed red at the term of endearment with a small smile.

"I mean _you,_ will you be careful?" Rick asked. "I need you, Carl and Glenn to come back."  

"We will come back. Always do." Daryl replied, he lifted his hand to cup Rick's cheek but dropped it again when he remembered that the others were by the truck instead he pulled the older man into a tight hug, briefly kissing his cheek before turning and getting in the truck. Rick wandered over to Glenn.

"Make sure they don't do anything stupid." Rick requested quietly, Glenn nodded and assured the man he'd do so. He smiled reassuringly at Sam and ignored Dean completely. Carl waved happily to his dad as they pulled away and out of the prison.

"What are we gonna get?" Carl asked, he was clearly excited to be on this run. Not just because he was going on a run but because he was going on a run with Daryl. 

"We're gonna get some steel plates for t'wall and whatever else we can find. I also told yer dad that I'd look for a housing estate." Daryl said, he reached over to mess Carl's hair up. They gathered all the steel they needed with only two situations but with back up there wasn't much of a problem. It was as they were driving back to the prison when Carl noticed something. 

"Dare! Wait turn here!" Carl shouted, Daryl's reaction time was immediate. 

"What? What was it Carl?" Daryl asked with urgency. Carl shook his head. 

"I saw a sign for a construction site, thought we could check it out." Carl explained looking out the window for the site. After about 10 minutes of driving they stopped at an iron gate flanked by brick walls. Carl looked at Daryl proudly. 

"Good find, Carl." Glenn praised from the back seat. Daryl turned to Carl and nodded, silently expressing his pride. 

"Let's get out and sweep the place, see if this is what we've been looking for." Daryl said, he picked up his crossbow and held it up ready for anything. The others gathered behind him, Carl the closest backing him up then Glenn backing Carl up and Sam backing Glenn up; Dean sulked along behind them as usual. Daryl opened the gate and the group walked into the estate, Glenn, Carl and Daryl shared a look of triumph. "Check all the houses, Carl come with me." The others nodded and split up to check the houses. 

"Dare I can go on my own!" Carl insisted but Daryl stood his ground. 

"Carl I promised yer dad that I'd keep you safe. I will keep you safe. And you are safest with me." Daryl said softly, looking into the boy's eyes. "I can't let anything happen to you."

"Ok." Carl caved, knowing that Daryl wasn't just doing it for Rick. "Sorry for not listening right away." Carl mumbled, Daryl huffed and pulled the boy to his side. They cleared two houses and then met the others in the yard. 

"How's it lookin'?" Daryl asked. Dean opened his mouth to speak but Daryl cut him off. "Didn't ask you." 

"Looks like everyone left before the breakout, a lot of houses are unfinished but there's solar power and water. 10 houses are complete and there's a lot of green land. The whole thing is surrounded by that wall, one way in one way out. Massive kitchen stocked full." Glenn answered while Dean glared at the hunter, Daryl nodded and looked around.

"The fuck is your problem?!" Dean shouted at Daryl, Sam held onto his arm. "Get the fuck off of me! All you, any of you, have done is ignore me or snap at me. So what the fuck is your problem?!" Dean continued moving forward. 

"Maybe because all you've done is be a fucking dick!" Carl shouted back, he glanced at Daryl to see if he's stepped over a line but the man was just glaring at the stranger however he did nod minutely to indicate to Carl that he was ok to continue. "At least Sam and Cas have fucking tried to fit in, tried to interact, tried to be part of our family. All you've done is sulk around, pouting, acting like you're the shit. But you aren't! My dad, Daryl, my family... we're the one's who gave you shelter, food. So show a little respect towards us, towards my dad and Daryl, hell towards me. Don't be an asshole and then expect everyone to treat you like a king, because without us you. Are. Nothing." Carl hissed, Glenn, Daryl and Sam smiled at the boy.

"The kid's smart." Sam said then the three men and Carl started back towards the truck. Dean frowned but followed all the same. Glenn bolted and chained the gates to make sure no one could get in then on the way back to the prison they made sure to mark the end of the road in such a way that only they would be able to see it. When they got back to the prison, Rick was waiting to pull the gate open for them. Carl hopped out before the car had even stopped, he walked over to Rick and was hugging the man as the others got out of the car. 

"We'll only need to put the steel up over he parts of the fence that are giving." Glenn said getting the provisions bag out of the cab. Rick looked at him confused.

"Carl found a housing estate about 5 miles from here." Sam explained with a small smile. Rick smiled brightly and pulled the boy in again.

"Good job. We'll fix the fence tomorrow, relax." Glenn, Carl and the two brother's nodded and headed back into the prison. "How was he?"

"Real good. He's quick, quiet, got good eyes." Daryl praised. Rick smiled slightly happy that Carl'd done well.

"Any problems?"

"One. We were lookin' 'round the 'state 'n I told 'im ta come with me 'n Carl bein' Carl want'd ta go alone but 'e came with me when I explained. He also told Dean off for bein' a prick, proud of 'im fer that one." Daryl explained chuckling softly at the memory. 

"I'm on watch tonight but I have a little time after dinner, if you wanna stop by my cell." Rick suggested, Daryl smirked at the suggestion.

"I'll clear my schedule." Daryl replied nudging Rick gently. Dinner went as it had the night before, the sound of laughter and the sight of smiles was common place now. Rick returned to his cell after putting Judith down for the night and saying goodnight to Carl, he pulled back the curtain and let a small smile pass across his face when he saw Daryl sat on his bed.

"Hey." Rick greeted softly. Daryl looked up at Rick, his expression affectionate, he stood and took hold of Rick's waist.

"Hey." Daryl said pulling Rick closer. Rick pressed their lips together, he ran his hands through the hunter's long hair as Daryl rested his hands on the small of Rick's back. Daryl slipped his tongue across Rick's bottom lip, the older man gasped quietly then moaned when Daryl's tongue touched his. Daryl slowly slid his hand down to gingerly grip Rick's ass to pull them flush against each other, Rick tightened his hand in Daryl's hair to pull their lips together harder in a passionate kiss. Daryl pulled away and pressed their forehead's together. "Ya know there's enough room on the housing 'state for us all ta have a house each, fer ya ta start another farm." Daryl whispered stroking his hand up and down Rick's back.

"Yeah? Sounds good." Rick said smiling. Daryl smiled too then pressed his lips to Rick's in a quick kiss. 

"Ya gotta go on yer shift." Daryl said regretfully. Rick looked at him sadly but nodded. "I'll see you in the morning, darlin'." Daryl murmured. They kissed each other goodnight then pulled the other into a tight hug before Rick left for his shift. Rick climbed up the guard tower with his gun slung across his back. 

"Hey Mags, go get some rest." Rick said, Maggie got up and patted Rick on the shoulder sleepily. Rick swept the perimeter the settled on the stool, looking out into the night. He let his mind wander, to Daryl and to his children. 

_Someone really should have noticed the foreign eyes watching them from beyond the tree line._

* * *

 


End file.
